Technology

New credit card account originations will increase in 2012, but both issuers and cardholders will be cautious, according to a forecast Moody’s Investors Service released Dec. 16.

As banks reinvest in technology to serve the small business segment, vendors are stepping up their offerings to meet the demand.

Various banks have been rolling out technology to automate interactions with small businesses, ranging from remote deposit capture to social media.

With no governing body regulating the payments industry in the United States, card data security for online service merchants can be an iffy proposition.

Heartland Payment Systems Inc. has regained its financial footing since its infamous 2008 security breach and the ensuing flood of lawsuits, but analysts say recent court rulings in the case leave some important liability issues unresolved.

Verizon Wireless’s decision to prevent Google from providing its Wallet mobile payment app on the new Galaxy Nexus smart phone, has not gone unnoticed in Washington.

In the evolution of Near Field Communication-based mobile payment technology, 2011 was a big leap forward for NFC handset distribution. But experts are stopping short of calling it an unqualified watershed year in NFC development.

Banks have been much maligned for nickel-and-diming their customers, but in another area–cardholder fraud protections–they are being praised as consumer champions.

Persuading consumers and merchants to shun the traditional way to pay and accept payment for goods and services using plastic remains Dwolla Corp.’s chief goal. But the company also is working to plug some holes in its service.

Mobile wallets have turned into vital payment tools for consumers in many African nations thanks to M-Pesa. Hoping to take advantage of this trend, Western Union Co. is expanding its mobile funds-transfer service to Tanzania to accommodate users who also subscribe to Vodacom’s M-Pesa mobile wallet.